Recent satellite imagery confirms the deployment of four U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers to the remote Indian Ocean outpost of Diego Garcia, joining six B-2 stealth bombers already stationed at the base, in a significant expansion of America’s long-range strike capabilities near Iran.
The satellite images, captured May 8 by USGS Landsat and analyzed by open-source researcher MT Anderson, show four possible B-52 Stratofortresses parked at the U.S. Naval Support Facility.
🇺🇸NSF Diego Garcia🇺🇸
For those that have been watching, not surprised to see 2x B-52 bombers at Diego Garcia along with 6x KC-135, 6x B-2 bombers, 1x C-5 Galaxy and 1x unknownCaveats apply given resolution
Src📷: @esa
7 May, 2025 pic.twitter.com/4Zbwr0yKgg— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) May 7, 2025
MT Anderson also posted an satellite image from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite the previous day, on May 7, showing two possible B-52’s alongside six B-2’s and six KC-135 refueling tankers.
🇺🇸NSF Diego Garcia🇺🇸
For those that have been watching, not surprised to see 2x B-52 bombers at Diego Garcia along with 6x KC-135, 6x B-2 bombers, 1x C-5 Galaxy and 1x unknownCaveats apply given resolution
Src📷: @esa
7 May, 2025 pic.twitter.com/4Zbwr0yKgg— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) May 7, 2025
The analysis is further supported by open-source flight monitoring account @EISNspotter, which tracked two separate pairs of B-52s crossing the Pacific from Barksdale Air Force Base en route to Diego Garcia.
#WAKE11 flt, a second pair of Barksdale B-52H heading to Diego Garcia, working San Francisco Radio HF 13288. https://t.co/bJ9WNrKu47 pic.twitter.com/PAeDIQjnjy
— EISNspotter 🇮🇪 (@EISNspotter) May 6, 2025
However, on May 9, EISNspotter reported that three B-2 bombers may have departed Diego Garcia and were en route to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. If confirmed, this would reduce the number of B-2s currently deployed on the island to three.
#LOOM11 flt (x3 B-2) heading home to Whiteman AFB after deployment to NSF Diego Garcia, working San Francisco Radio HF 8843. pic.twitter.com/SjYdhWAWJy
— EISNspotter 🇮🇪 (@EISNspotter) May 9, 2025
The arrival of the B-52s marks the first presence of the aircraft at the base since a Bomber Task Force (BTF) rotation last year and represents a further uptick in pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.
“There’s a Bomber Task Force of B-52s going on as we speak,” Lt. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a May 7 hearing, without specifying the location.
The timing coincides with stalled diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have so far failed to yield a new agreement, with President Donald Trump maintaining that while a peaceful solution is preferred, military action remains a possibility if talks do not progress.
Iran has rejected talks outside the parameters of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Tehran continues to assert that its nuclear activities are strictly for civilian purposes.
The presence of B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia since March was already notable, as the U.S. Air Force operates only 19 of the stealth aircraft, with a limited number mission-ready at any time.
These aircraft participated in a U.S. air campaign targeting Houthi militants in Yemen, which ceased May 6 following a reported ceasefire.
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the B-2s carried out strikes using unspecified conventional weapons, following previous B-2 operations from Missouri against the Houthis in October.
Officials have not confirmed whether the B-2s will remain at the base now that B-52s have arrived. Though, as mentioned above, it’s possible three B-2’s have already returned to Whiteman AFB.
B-2s are the only operational aircraft certified to carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), though no such munitions have been used during operations in Yemen.
The B-52, though non-stealthy, can carry a wide array of conventional and nuclear weapons and operate over long ranges with support from aerial refueling assets like the KC-135, also stationed at Diego Garcia. C-17 and C-5 airlifters have provided logistical support for the deployments.
The bolstered U.S. posture at Diego Garcia signals an elevated readiness for large-scale air operations in the region. The remote base, located roughly 2,360 miles from Iran, has previously served as a staging ground for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It remains beyond the known range of Iranian ballistic missiles, estimated at 1,250 miles, though Iranian officials have warned they consider the base a potential target.
“There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within range of Iranian missiles,” an Iranian military official told The Telegraph in March.
The United Kingdom, which maintains sovereignty over the island, has condemned such threats. A government spokesperson described Diego Garcia as “vital to UK and US security,” and emphasized its role in regional stability.
Despite public speculation, the Air Force has declined to confirm details of the deployments. In a statement, Air Force Global Strike Command said it “routinely conducts global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and participating U.S. government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies.”
